nearly 40,000 american military personnel stationed across the uny. nhk world reports. >> the commander of u.s. forces in japan made the announcement o >> under u.s. paycom commander authority i iedte issuing a curfew to all military personnel in japan both temporary and assigned. >> theieutenangeneral salvatore angelella says the curfew will be in place from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. it will applto all u.s. forces in japan, including those who come here for a short time. e cionolwsherrtsearlier this we navy sailors. they are accused of raping a woman in okinawa. the pair is being ld at the japanese prosecutor's office in the capital. iantoernay

apologize for the grief and trauma the victim has endured and the anger it has caused among the people in okinawa. >> american servicemen have been involved in more than 120 sexual assault cases in okinawaince 1972 when the u.s. government returned the island chain back to japanese control. it was an incident in 1995 that most shocked and enraged people in okinawa. three u.s. marines raped a 12-year-old girl. the case prompt mass demonstrations. and it brought the u.s./japan security treaty close to the breaking point. the governor of okinawa at the time said a temporary curfew doesn't go far enough. >> translator: for the time being this may be effective, but for the long-term it's not a

good solution. so this is a time to pay attention to the base program. >> reporter: calling for a full review of the code of conduct for the u.s. forces in japan. any changes will be noted more in okinawa. more than 70% of american military facilities are located there. many people in okinawa consider that a burden. and when cases like this arise, that burden feels unbearable. nhk world, tokyo. >> a joint chinese navy and air force fleet conducted an exercise. japan nationalized the islands last month, china and taiwan claim them as their own. the 11 ships and eight aircraft

took part in the exercise. the drill was based on the scenario that the crew of a patrol boat had fallen overboard and were injured in a skirmish state-run television . broadcast it live. china's national radio says chinese patrol boats have been harassed around the disputed islands. it says the exercise was aimed at protecting china sovereignty. >> how to balance economic growth with environmental protection. conservation experts have been trying to answer that dilemma as talks -- at the talks in india, that is. >> the u.n. sponsored meeting wrapped up, the 11 conference of the parties to the u.n. convention on diversity is

otherwise known as cop 11. at the previous meeting cop 10 in 2010 delegates agree to set aside 17% of the world's land area for protection. many charges remain but efforts are making progress in areas including northern india. from there nhk world reports. >> reporter: india's northeast state, one of the many rare species that call the place their home. the mountains are not only a beautiful landscape, they are a natural habitat. when it rains, they are prone to land slides. much vegetation is lost due to land slides and human activities like collecting grass and wood to feed animals or to burn for fuel. the forests are degraded. ecosystems and habitats

destroyed. a project to conserve diversity started two years ago. japan offered more than $60 million assistance. he crisscrosses the area on foot. there are few specialists in biodiversity. training researchers learn as they work. >> an expert working in different areas in different parts of country, actually he's new but still he like we get to learn many things from him. >> also important that the next generation, the youngsters, they understand, they learn the tools and techniques of measuring biodiversity. the next generation has to take care. we have to pass it on to them. >> reporter: cooperation of

local people is important. at this village residents have planted trees and saplings. villagers take care of them, weeding the grass and replacing chutes. forest officials explain the importance of conservation. and villagers can use the budget from the project toward repairing local temples to try to buy favor with their community. >> if you have some project coming up into a village, they'll get assurance, okay, the project has come, it's for the benefit of the village, so in that respect more people, more villages coming to join us. >> training local people to conserve requires long term financial support. developing nations are calling on advanced economies to

allocate more money to the important cause of preserving global heritage. nhk world, sikkam. >> teenage pregnancy rates in many countries are higher than the asian average and still rising. that's a concern given the potential health implications for young mothers. international organizations such as unicef warn that pregnancy can harm a young girl's body and limit her opportunity for education. this shows the birth date per 1,000 girls age 15-19 in the ten member nations. they are much higher than in countries such as japan and south korea. in thailand the number of teenage girls choosing to terminate a pregnancy is rising even though the procedure is normally illegal. health experts say sex education programs could help reverse the trend but they face strong opposition from tro digsal groups.

>> reporter: teenage girls received a vice at the clinic in bangkok about the challenges of motherhood. the clinic says the number of pregnant teens have jumped in recent years. it has launched a new project devoted to their physical and mental care. this 16-year-old girl is four months pregnant. her boyfriend used a condom but it didn't do its job. >> i felt worried when i found out i was pregnant. >> there should be videos and lessons at school about how to use a condom properly. >> reporter: the thai. go says out of every girl 15-19 almost 55 gave birth in 2011.

>> two years ago a temple found the remains of more than 2,000 infants. they were dumped by a clinic that performs legal abortions. the clinic had been terminating pregnancies of teenage girls for years. one expert estimates as many as 400,000 illegal abortions take place in thailand each year. often for teenagers. one reason behind alarming trend is that schools in thailand are restricted from teaching about sex education. the heritage makes it taboo. >> translator: branging advanced sex education into schools is a sensitive issue. even though we see a need for it we have to be very careful. we have to take care of the feelings of parents, students,

and also teachers. >> reporter: doctors and nurses are starting to call for change. this hospital offers young people advanced sex education such as how to use contraceptives. if they know the dangers they will take better care of themselves. >> hospital officials try to encourage local schools to follow suit. but parents are divided. >> translator: we should arm young people with an ability to

analyze and then they will be able to tell right from wrong. >> if we teach them in class they might be curious about it and want to try having sex, and that might cause problems later on. >> reporter: with the rapid spread of the internet educational experts said more teens have access to unreliable information about sex on line. education seems to be the last line of defense to the potential burden of an unwanted pregnancy. nhk world, bangkok. >> that wraps up our bulletin for today. what a difference two years make when a dissident activist won the nobel peace prize in 2010 china's government was

incensed. this year a chinese author won in literature. though he doesn't shy away from controversy the award delights the government. >> reporter: nothing sells books like a nobel prize. books have been flying off the shelf since winning the award last week. this store in beijing has cleared this whole shelf for his books. the book store rushed in extra copies but in days the shelves were bare again. now, the store is trying to get more copies. >> i heard his name but i haven't read his books. he is now a nobel laureate. i want to read his novel. >> he was born 57 years ago.

published in 1986, he depicts the live of a chinese peasant during world war ii. the nobel was made into a film. >> what i strive to do is make my work portray the life of chinese people, their unique culture and customs. and if i've done my work well, it transcends regional and ethnic boundaries. >> reporter: what is it about mo's work that captivates? yan, a long time admirer says he moves readers. he's especially good.

he touched her deeply. >> translator: mo takes up social issues from the standpoint of ordinary citizens like the problem of poverty and disparity. he depicts the reality so well. >> reporter: the government has welcomed mo's award. most newspapers have heaped praise on him. >> translator: china is putting so much energy into developing culture. we're at a critical stage in cultural exports and imports. mo's award will boost cultural exchanges, it will play a major role in fostering china as a cultural power. that's something the government really wants. >> reporter: the reaction to mo's award is in stark contrast to the government's response two years ago when democracy activist won the prize. he is now serving time for

inciting subversion of state power. officials there lashed out for all of the distant. they said it was interfering in china's domestic affairs. but mo gave a show of support to liu, shortly after receiving his award. >> translator: i hope liu is free again as soon as possible. >> reporter: he has not hesitated to write about contentious problems like the government's one child policy. so, that he has done again the government a japanese expert gave us this view. >> translator: it's true he writes about reality in china, but it's up to readers to judge

whether his novels side with the chinese government or not. winning this award may prompt his readers to reconsider their society. on the other hand, as a nobel winner he can be used as a press agent for government propaganda. i think the prize win carries a double meaning so he is a difficult author to handle. >> reporter: mo brought the coveted prize to a country proud of its classical literature. at the same time his success the tension to china's shortcomings. >> people in japan's northeast are focused on overcoming the challenges of the 2011 disaster. it won't be easy. they have to rebuild homes, businesses, entire communities. we'll show you their struggles and their successes on "the road ahead" every wednesday at 1:00

p.m. japan time. here on newsline. japanese researchers warn that debris from last year's tsunami may cause irreparable damage to marine ecosystems. it's estimated 1.5 million tons of debris is drifting in the pacific ocean. >> the researchers crossed the pacific ocean from japan to hawaii between august and september. they took the voyage to visually check for the presence of debris. they say they identified more than 900 items, some of the debris was found in the stomachs of tuna caught along the way. the researchers say not all the items originated from the tsunami-hit areas but some were clearly from northeastern japan. professor headed the team, he says he hopes to gather more information with the help of other ships. >> translator: i'm worried that

wildlife might swallow pieces of debris. >> he says the debris could greatly harm the marine ecosystem if the objects are consumed by fish and sea birds. last year's accident at the nuclear plant revealed serious flaws in the country's ability to respond to nuclear disasters. japan's nuclear regulation authority was created last month to overhaul the nuclear safety rules. it's already facing major challenges. the nra a drew up new guidelines concerning the size of evacuation zones around nuclear plants. the radius was expanded from 10 to 30 kilometers that means municipalities could fall entirely within an evacuation zone. these municipalities in a 30-kilometer radius must draw up new plans to respond to nuclear

disasters but the nra a has yet to present criteria for evacuation or information on what kind of support the national government will provide. the municipalities say they are confused and frustrated. >> this is a city in the prefecture lying within 30 kilometers of the nuclear power plant. that means none of its 27 evacuation centers would be usable in the event after nuclear accident. >> translator: the centers will be useless under the 30-kilometer rule. >> under the guidelines the city has to find evacuations outside the city for all 90,000 residents. other problems have surfaced. the city needs to map out evacuation routes and make detailed plans to relocate the city office and protect civilians from radiation.

however, the nra has not provided criteria for evacuation or measures to prevent radiation exposure. iodine tablets to prevent thyroid damage remain on the shelves at schools and the city office. the pills can cause serious side effects so they have to be distributed with care but the nra has yet to provide instructions how to use them. >> translator: we want to know when to evacuate people. but the criteria for this and other measures are still unclear. the national government appears undecided. >> reporter: some local governments say they want the nra to offer support in addition to drawing up safety guidelines. in western japan is a nuclear

plant. about 30,000 people living within the 30 kilometer zone are being cared for. representatives of such facilities have gotten together to discuss evacuation methods. the prefecture says the national government must help them find evacuation areas outside the prefecture as well as transportation and personnel. >> translator: we hope the center of government will continue to respond to our request. we need materials, machinery, and human resources. >> reporter: the nra says it will try to develop a clear set of guidelines in response to these pressing requests. >> translator: we help to present the information needed

to draw up plans by the end of the year. we know we must provide the guidelines as quickly as possible. >> 135 japanese municipalities lie within 30 kilometers of nuclear power plants. they have until march next year to draw up new nuclear response plans. they count on japan's newest agency to guide them on the path to improved safety. for an update on the weather. >> we're seeing a taste of winter up in northern japan. we show you a video coming out from an area near mount fugi. the skiing season kicked off on friday. about 300 clad in halloween outfits enjoyed their first downhill ride. the run is the first to open in japan thanks to the use of artificial snow. skiers hoping to ski on natural snow will have to wait until mid

december. let's show you that the wintry pattern actually has been found here in hokkaido. it's crawling to the region or even in the urban areas around sapporo bringing precipitation which is snow in the higher elevations. additional amount of 5 centimeters will be seen across northern japan and on saturday severe weather are going to be on the rise. but otherwise meanwhile, across much of japan for the rest of this country as well as the korean peninsula and continental asia, with this high pressure building largely and widely spreading we're going to have a beautiful autumn weekend ahead of us. it's going to be a very nice weekend to do our laundry and to take our dogs out for a walk in the park and enjoy the foliage. the temperatures are very nice,

shaping up like this. 30s in the tropics, 22 in chaching. 25 in shanghai. beijing at 22, a dip in that temperature into your sunday about mid teens. the same in seoul. across the americas we have several injuries reported from the very severe storm system that's finally going to be moving offshore but still remaining here in new england for the next 24 hours especially in new york city. some blinding downpours and gusty conditions. the gusts and the rain will be tapering off. the pacific storm will move in toward vancouver, as well as the state of washington. and those gusts could reach up to about 60 kilometers per hour and cascade's northern rockies you may see the precipitation turn to snow in the higher

elevations. we're going to look at the clear jet stream here, oklahoma city on the warmer side. 22 degrees. los angeles in the 20s. houston warmer there at 29. staying above average here across the eastern seaboards. in the northern reaches, the pen pens, the british isles will look at unsettled and cool weather. very sunny and warm across central portions, vienna 17, berlin 20, rome 27 degrees. however, the unstable conditions will be prevailing across the berrian peninsula. additional precipitation could trigger mudslides. hail and gusts are possible as well and the temperatures are cooling down. madrid only looking at 17 degrees. here is our extended forecast.

we'll be back with more updates in 30 minutes.

from all of us here at nhk world thanks for joining us. have a great day wherever you are.

>> hello, evod